Interlocking panel system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for interior construction of a wall having at least two panels that have an edge portion, and a joint insert for joining the panels. The panels are secured together by attaching a first insert portion of the joint insert to the edge portion of one panel and a second insert portion of the joint insert to the edge portion of the second panel. The joint insert may have a body that includes the first and second insert portions, and a cap attachable to the insert body. The system may obviate the need for wallboard installation.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of thedisclosure and filing date of provisional A. No. 61/937,322, filed Feb.7, 2014, and the entire contents of that provisional application areincorporated herein by reference; in particular, any and all testresults shown therein are considered to be part of the presentdisclosure, and properties of the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to construction of walls and the like,and more particularly to a system of interlocking synthetic panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the present invention are directed to a system forconstruction of a wall or the like, comprising at least one panel,having an edge portion, a joint insert for joining the panel with asecond similar panel, and joining the panels by attaching a first insertportion of the joint insert to the edge portion of one panel and asecond insert portion of the joint insert to the edge portion of thesecond panel to secure the panels to each other. In certain embodimentsthe joint insert may comprise an insert body that includes the first andsecond insert portions, and a cap attachable to the insert body.

In certain embodiments, the insert body may contain a cavity, and thecap may have a stem portion and a cover portion, the stem portion beingreceived in the cavity to secure the cap to the insert body. In someembodiments, the stem portion may have one edge connected to the coverportion, and a second edge remote from the cover portion, with thesecond edge having a resilient structure to lock the second edge intothe cavity to secure the cap to the insert body. In some embodiments,the cavity is open at one side to receive the cap and may comprises awall at a second side opposite the first side, with the wall beingconstructed to permit passage of a fastener through the wall and into awall structure (building structure) to which the panels are to beattached. The insert portions may have at least one gasket to provide aseal with the edge portions of the panels. In certain embodiments, theinsert portions each have a front surface and a back surface, and atleast one gasket is provided on one of the front and back surfaces. Theinsert portions may have the at least one gasket on the back surface,and have at least one additional gasket on the front surface.

In certain embodiments, the edge portions of the panels each define arecess to receive the insert portions of the joint insert, to secure thepanels to the joint insert. Again, the panels may each comprise a frontsurface and a back surface, with the recess defined by a space betweenthe front and back surfaces at the edge portion. In certain aspects theinvention is directed to a wall or the like, comprising at least firstand second panels, each having an edge portion, and a joint insertjoining the first and second panels to each other, where the jointinsert has a first insert portion attached to the edge portion of theone panel and a second insert portion attached to the edge portion ofthe second panel to secure the first and second panels to each other.

A wall constructed using such a system is also within the scope of theinvention, as is a method of constructing such a wall using this system.

In additional aspects the invention is directed to a joint insert foruse in construction of a wall or the like that comprises at least onepanel, having an edge portion, and the joint insert comprising a bodyhaving a cavity formed therein and defined at least partially by a wallat one side and by an opening at a second, opposite side, and first andsecond insert portions secured to the body, for attachment to the edgeportions of first and second panels. The joint insert may also have acap having a portion received in the cavity and secured to the body.

Certain aspects of the present invention are directed to a method ofconstructing a wall or the like that comprises at least one panel havingan edge portion, the method comprising steps of providing at least firstand second such panels, and providing a joint insert that has first andsecond insert portions for attachment to the edge portion of the firstand the second panels to secure the first and second panels to eachother. The first insert portion is inserted into a recess in the edgeportion of the first panel, and the second insert portion is insertedinto a recess in the edge portion of the second panel, and the jointinsert is secured to a building structure that is to support the wall.In certain embodiments the securing step may include placing a fastenerthrough the joint insert body to secure the joint insert to the buildingstructure, and optionally attaching a cap to the joint insert body tocover and conceal the fastener. In some embodiments, the method mayinclude applying adhesive between the cap and the panels.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will beappreciated from the following detailed description of preferredembodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a view of two panels according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views of two portion of a joint insert according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the use of the joint insert to join twopanels together.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the panels secured together, with thecap of the joint insert in place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure relates to a system that preferably uses syntheticextruded panels, of e.g., PVC or polypropylene, for installation in abuilding interior, optionally without the need to install wallboardfirst.

As stated above, certain embodiments of the present invention involve asystem of panels and joint inserts that may be used to join the panelstogether. An example of two such panels 10 is shown in FIG. 1. In thisexample, each panel 10 is made from a fluted polypropylene core orsubstrate 12, to one side of which is secured a layer of fiberreinforced plastic (“FRP”) 18. This side will sometimes be termed the“front” or the “finish” side of the panels 10, and it is expected thatthis surface is the one that will be visible to occupants of the spaceonce the wall is built. The finish side face may include decoration ofvarious sorts, including texturing, other patterning or colorizing, asdesired. The substrate 12 may be manufactured in known fashion, e.g., byextrusion, and in the illustrated embodiment has front and back surfaces14 and 16, and the space between them is divided into cells or channels20 whose walls 22 are of the same material as the front and backsurfaces 14 and 16 are made of.

As shown, one edge of each panel 10 is shown as having the front andback surfaces 14 and 16 defining a U-shaped trough or groove 24 betweenthem, a similar structure being present at the opposite side of eachpanel 10 (not shown). These two edges are those at which the panels 10are joined together, and will often be referred to herein as the “edgeportions” 26 of the panels 10. The remaining two edges of each panel 10may be left as shown, with the substrate 12 (including the multiplecells or channels 20) and the finish side face visible in cross-section,or alternatively, can if desired by closed off with a capping layer (notillustrated).

The other major element of the system in this embodiment is a jointinsert 30, which is used to join two panels 10 together side by side ina common plane. In this embodiment the joint insert 30 has two parts 40and 60, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each of these parts may be made byextrusion of polypropylene or another polymeric material, and cut to thesame length as the panels 10.

In this embodiment, the body 40 of the insert joint (the part shown inFIG. 2) is formed with a central trough or cavity 42 in what is shown asthe upper side (and which will become the side nearer the room interiorafter installation), with the bottom of the trough 42 formed by a wallor web 44 of the polymeric material and the top largely open but with aslight neck or narrowing 46 as compared with the interior of the trough42. Extending outward to each side from the trough 42 are insertportions 48. In this embodiment each insert portion 48 has across-section rather like a capital D, and in any event is shaped to fitwithin the open U-shaped groove 24 described above that is at each sideedge portion 26 of the panels 10. The insert portions 48 are shaped,also, so as to have sufficient mechanical strength to be received andheld securely within the panel edge portions 26.

The insert portions 48 are each provided with gaskets 50, which in thecase of this embodiment are four in number, shaped as parallel ridgesthat extend along the length of the joint insert body 40, two on the topsurface and two on the bottom surface of each insert portion 48. (Afterconstruction of the wall, of course, these “top” and “bottom” surfaceswill be the “front” and “rear” surfaces.) Resiliency of the gaskets 50assists in retaining the insert portions 48 securely in the edgeportions 26 of the panels 10, and also provides a seal sufficient toinhibit the passage of water or humidity from one side of the wall tothe other through the joint structure. A variation of this structure isshown in FIG. 4, where the lower surface of each insert portion 48 hasonly a single gasket 52, although the single gasket 52 is wider, havinga width side-to-side that is at least equal to the area occupied by thetwo upper-surface gaskets 50 together with the space between them. Othernumbers, sizes and locations of gaskets for the joint insert can be usedwithout departing from the broad scope of the invention, however.

The second part of the joint insert 30 is the cap 60, shown in FIG. 3.In this embodiment the cap 60 may be thought of broadly as having aT-shape cross-section, in that its top 62 extends horizontally outwardfrom a narrower middle part 64. The upper, horizontal part 62 of the T,also called the “cover portion” herein, is shown as being wider than themiddle part 64, although the relation between these widths may be variedwithout departing from the broad scope of the invention (and this istrue, in fact, of all the proportions described). The cover portion 62could be made fully as narrow as the middle part 64 if desired, but theextension of the cover portion 62 outward from the middle part 64 isadvantageous, as described below.

The middle portion 64 of the cap, also called the “stem” portion of theT herein, is formed by two walls 66 with an open trough 68 between them.(The open portion of the interior need not be as large as shown, or theinterior may be solid, provided that the cap is sufficiently flexible tobe inserted into its place in the insert body 40.) In their upperportions the walls 66 are parallel, but toward their lower, free ends 70the walls 66 approach each other before turning outward and away fromeach other at the ends 70. The cap 60 may also be provided with gaskets(not illustrated) to assist in making the joint as thoroughly water- andmoisture-proof as possible.

In use, one of the insert portions 58 of the joint insert body 40 isplaced in the groove or trough 24 at the edge portion 26 of one of thepanels 10, and the other insert portion 48 is placed in the groove ortrough 24 of the edge portion 26 of the other panel 10, as indicated bythe horizontal heavy arrows. In this embodiment the insert portions 48of the joint insert body 40 are of a size and shape that causes them tofit snugly in the panel edge-portion grooves 24, and the resilience ofthe material of the gaskets 50, 52 assists in ensuring that the insertbody 48 is firmly secured to both panels 10. It is possible to placeadhesive, caulking or both in the panel edges as well, and it is withinthe broad scope of the invention to do so, although the inventorsparticularly contemplate that the structures disclosed herein make thatadditional step unnecessary.

The panels 10 may themselves be provided with metal or other fasteners(not illustrated) on their rear surface 16 to enable them to be attachedto the building structural elements, or more broadly to an underlyingsurface, such as of wallboard. It is intended, however, that in certainembodiments the installation of drywall prior to installing the panels10 and joint inserts 30 described herein may be dispensed withaltogether. The wall or web 44 at the bottom of the trough or cavity 42of the insert body 40 is preferably provided with apertures 54 throughwhich fasteners 56 such as nails or screws can be passed, to secure thejoint insert 39 to the building structure. Alternatively, the wall orweb 44 of the central trough 42 of the insert body 40 may have thinnedareas, rather than apertures, for facilitating the passage of suchfasteners through the wall, or in some embodiments the material of thewall 44 may itself be such as to enable such fasteners to penetrate evenwithout a pre-formed hole or thin area.

By applying nails or other suitable fasteners 56 in this fashion afterthe two panels 10 have been secured together by the insert joint body40, the resulting paneling assembly is secured to the building, to forma portion of a wall. It is however also within the scope of theinvention to place the insert portion 48 into one panel 10, secure thejoint insert 30 to the building structure, and then attach the secondpanel 10 to the joint insert 30, if for any reason that procedure ispreferred.

Once both panels 10 are securely attached to the joint insert 30, andthe panel assembly is attached to the building structure by nails orscrews 56 as illustrated, the cap 60 of the joint insert 30 is put inplace. As shown most clearly in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5, thestem 64 of the cap 60 is placed into the open top 46 of the space ortrough 42 of the insert body 40, between the two panel edge portions 26,and is received in the cavity or trough 42 in the central portion of theinsert body 40. The above-described shape of the lower ends 70 of thecap stem 64 causes the flared outward-turned ends 70 to be received andheld by the sides of the top opening 46 of the trough or cavity 42. Itis preferred that the shape of this flaring enables the lower or freeends 70 of the cap walls 66 to engage with the neck 46 of the insertbody cavity 42 to provide an element of locking to hold the cap 60 inplace as shown in FIG. 5.

In addition, adhesive 72 may be applied to the finish side face 18 atthe joint cap 60, immobilizing the cap 60 and providing additionalprotection against the penetration of moisture into the joint.Preferably, however, the adhesive 72 may be provided in place as part ofthe joint cap 60, simplifying the installation procedure by making thestep of adding the adhesive in the field unnecessary.

Among other advantages of this system are that (1) mechanical fastenersare not visible, and (2) the joints may have gasket locking on thesubstrate, preventing water and moisture from getting behind the panel,(3) the panels 10 can be installed directly on building studs withoutdrywall, and (4) the panels 10 have an interlocking structure (theyinterlock with each other) and are easy to install, and (5) the finishside face may be fiber reinforced plastic, although other materials maybe used, such as non-fiber reinforced plastics, including thermoset orthermoplastic materials. The panels and joint insert system may besuitably used as an interior wall system, and may be particularlysuitable for use in commercial retail construction.

The substrate 12 may have an internal structure other than the flutedstructure shown and described herein. Also, it is within the broad scopeof the invention to make the joint insert 30 integral with a panel 10.In such a case, the panel core 12 is extruded so that one edge portion26 is not the open groove or trough 24 as shown here, but has the formof the joint insert body. If this is done, one step is eliminated fromthe installation process. In such a case the edge portion so formedwould of course have only one insert portion, i.e., the portion intendedto be received in the edge-portion groove of the next panel.

The panels of this system may be used with mechanical fasteners, studadhesives, metal corner guards and sealants as needed or convenient.Again, the panels may be installed directly on metal or wood studs bymeans of stud adhesive and mechanical fasteners, after first beingassembled with the joint inserts.

The following ASTM standards are incorporated herein by reference: ASTMD5319, ASTM D695, ASTM C365, ASTM D256, ASTM D5420, ASTM D2583, ASTME84, ASTM D790, ASTM D638, ASTM D696, ASTM D570 and ASTM D4812.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein by way of example, the scope of the invention is notlimited to the structures and methods shown and described, and manyvariations of those structures and methods will now be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the relevant art. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is not to be limited to the details specifically shown ordescribed herein, but encompasses the full scope of what is disclosedherein and enabled by the present disclosure, within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for construction of a wall or the like,comprising: at least one panel, having an edge portion; a joint insertfor joining said at least one panel with a second similar panel, whereinsaid joint insert has a first insert portion for attachment to said edgeportion of said one panel and a second insert portion for attachment tosaid edge portion of said second similar panel to secure said first andsecond panels to each other.
 2. A system according to claim 1, whereinsaid joint insert comprises an insert body that includes said first andsecond insert portions, and a cap attachable to said insert body.
 3. Asystem according to claim 1, wherein said insert body contains a cavity,and said cap has a stem portion and a cover portion, said stem portionbeing received in said cavity to secure said cap to said insert body. 4.A system according to claim 3, wherein said stem portion has one edgeconnected to said cover portion, and a second edge remote from saidcover portion, said second edge having a resilient structure to locksaid second edge into said cavity to secure said cap to said insertbody.
 5. A system according to claim 3, wherein said cavity is open atone side to receive said cap and comprises a wall at a second sideopposite said first side, said wall being constructed to permit passageof a fastener through said wall and into a wall structure to which saidpanels are to be attached.
 6. A system according to claim 1, whereinsaid edge portions of said first and said second panels each define arecess to receive said first and said second insert portions of saidjoint insert, respectively, to secure said panels to said joint insert.7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said first and said secondpanels each comprise a front surface and a back surface, and whereinsaid recess is defined by a space between said front surface and saidback surface at said edge portion.
 8. A system according to claim 1,wherein said joint insert has at least one gasket to provide a seal withsaid edge portions of said panels.
 9. A system according to claim 8,wherein said at least one gasket includes at least one gasket on eachinsert portion.
 10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said at leastone gasket is located on one of said insert body and said cap.
 11. Asystem according to claim 9, wherein said insert portions each have afront surface and a back surface, and wherein said at least one gasketis provided on one of said front and back surfaces.
 12. A systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said insert portions have said at leastone gasket on said back surface of said insert portions, and have atleast one additional gasket on said front surface of said insertportions.
 13. A wall or the like, comprising: at least first and secondpanels, each having an edge portion; a joint insert joining said firstand said second panels to each other, wherein said joint insert has afirst insert portion attached to said edge portion of said one panel anda second insert portion attached to said edge portion of said secondsimilar panel to secure said first and second panels to each other. 14.A joint insert for use in construction of a wall or the like, the wallcomprising at least one panel, having an edge portion, and said jointinsert comprising: a body, having a cavity formed therein, said cavitybeing defined at least partially by a wall at one side and by an openingat a second side opposite said one side; a first insert portion securedto said body, for attachment to the edge portion of one panel; a secondinsert portion secured to said body, for attachment to the edge portionof the second panel; and a cap having a portion received in said cavityand secured to said body.
 15. A method of constructing a wall or thelike, comprising the steps of: providing at least first and secondpanels, each having an edge portion; providing a joint insert, whereinthe joint insert has a first insert portion for attachment to the edgeportion of one panel and a second insert portion for attachment to theedge portion of the second panel to secure the first and second panelsto each other; inserting the first insert portion into a recess in theedge portion of the first panel and the second insert portion into arecess in the edge portion of the second panel; and securing the jointinsert to a building structure to support the wall.
 16. A methodaccording to claim 15, wherein the joint insert has a body thatcomprises the first and second insert portions, and a cap, said methodfurther comprising attaching the cap to the body of the insert joint.17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said securing step comprisesplacing a fastener through the joint insert body to secure the jointinsert to the building structure, and wherein said step of attaching thecap results in covering and concealing the fastener.
 18. A methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the cap has a stem that is received inthe joint insert body once the cap is attached to the insert joint body,and a cover portion connected to the stem, and wherein after said stepof attaching the cap to the joint insert body, the cover portionoverlies the first panel and the second panel.
 19. A method according toclaim 18, further comprising applying adhesive between the cap and thepanels.